Driving around last week, you might have noticed a scattering of yard signs plugging Graham Platner’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate. To be fair, supporters of Gov. Janet Mills, who is seeking the same office, have placed some of her yard signs around, too. I have not seen any signs for Sen. Susan Collins, but I may have missed them.

If you missed the campaign efforts of the Senate candidates, it is understandable, as the primary election is some 50 days away, on June 9. And, to be honest, many political junkies were distracted by national/world events.

For example: POTUS took a swing at the Pope for opposing his war in Iran. Using Christ-like AI images and harsh language, he hammered the first American pontiff, and the VEEP urged the cleric to be careful when arguing theology. SECDEF piled on, too, plagiarizing a movie hitman’s rant disguised as scripture.

On his part, his Holiness, the first American pontiff, a South Side Chicago native, quietly quoted the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed be the Peacemakers.”

Mr. Trump’s attack on the Pope triggered an immediate response from the Pope’s supporters. A trio of Cardinals backed him on "60 Minutes" as other national Cardinals and bishops stood by him. Lay Catholic groups, including the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, stood up, too. Even the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury and the Episcopal Bishop of Washington offered their support for the Bishop of Rome.

Online pundits on the left and right questioned the actions of both men. Some Trump advocates told the Pope to stay in his lane and ignore politics. Others recalled how the last four Popes prayed for the end of America’s wars. Catholics make up about 20% of the electorate. By attacking the Pope, did POTUS commit a mortal political sin?

Meanwhile, as the TV talking heads strained the POTUS VS. POPE flap through partisan political sieves, more than 350 grownups gathered at the Boothbay Region Elementary School gym last Sunday to listen to a real, live candidate.

It was the 57th time Graham Platner, Marine vet and oyster farmer and political rookie, in his flannel shirt and jeans, gave his stock speech and answered questions. The audience, many dressed like the candidate, seemed to approve, giving him several standing ovations.

Some of the highlights:

-He said he was not taking $$$ from big PACS unless they were aligned with the labor movement and like interests.

-He was still thinking about term limits, except for the Supreme Court, as he wanted to overturn the Citizens United decision giving big money PACS the right to flood campaigns with fat checks.

-He claimed he was leading both Mills and the incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the polls.

-He thought Mr. Trump’s Iran war was stupid, suggesting it was started to divert attention from the Epstein Files.

-He suggested we might consider combating the affordable housing crisis by fixing up older homes, and maybe building public housing would help keep prices down.

-He said he was a New Deal Democrat.

-He blamed the ills of the nation on the super-rich.

And, of course, he asked folks to donate money to his campaign. “I know, I got to raise money to get money out of politics.” Then he urged the audience to "just do something.”

Mills, who is in the news on most days as governor, has paused her political TV ads, which attacked Platner for his offensive social media posts and pseudo-Nazi style tattoos. Platner has apologized for the remarks and re-tattooed over the questionable ink.

As reported by Politico, first-quarter campaign finance reports show Sen. Collins holds a cash advantage over both Platner and Mills. Collins brought in just over $3 million. Platner’s campaign raised $4.1 million, less than the $4.6 million it raised in the prior quarter, while Mills gathered $2.6 million, down from $2.7 million in the final quarter of 2025. Collins had over $10 million in the bank, Platner enjoys $2.7 million, while Mills had just over $1 million, campaign reports said.

Sunday’s campaign event was just the first in a local chapter of a major league political scrap, as the Maine race could determine the makeup of the U.S. Senate and, ultimately, the occupant of the White House.

FYI, I got a call from Ms Pigette, and she sadly announced the end of her own campaign for the Senate. “I ran to make fun of politics, but I can’t keep up with the silliness in real life.”

She is right.